Fernando Torres: "We're the Brazil of today"

Fernando Torres has had two wake-up calls which make him enjoy his experiences with Spain's national team more than ever. He thought he would miss out on the Confederations Cup and he is now just one goal shy of becoming the tournament's all-time top goalscorer. "We're the Brazil of today," he said. Spain is the team to beat.

"We have more to lose than they do. We're the team to beat. In our opinion, Brazil is the favourite. It has everything in its favour. It's the host nation, has home support and on top of that, everybody wants to beat Spain," the striker explained on the eve of the final against the Brazilians at the Maracaná.

"We have nothing left to prove. We want to continue winning and keep this squad together. We all want to be at the World Cup next year, which makes it hard for those trying to break into the squad," he said of Spain's next generation of players.

Everything is possible if you work hard. Hopefully I can score in the final and equal the tournament's all-time goalscoring record, especially if it helps the team to win," said the Chelsea forward.

Torres calmly and philosophically responded to criticism. "You have to be consistent with what you do throughout your career and I'm very proud of what I've achieved and how I've done it. Try and follow a dream, sticking to your values to the end. All that's left is to look at the numbers and that's the truth," he concluded.